Kahuna Surf Series

Western Province Surfing
Melkbosstrand South Africa
17 - 18 November 2007

Kahuna Surf Series crowns first champions for 2007

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 November, 2007 : - - The Kahuna Surf Series event for novices and future surf stars in the Western Cape crowned its first champions for 2007 when the finals of the twice postponed first event and the entire second event were run at Melkbosstrand on the weekend.

Solid one metre waves and stiff offshore winds greeted the finalists from the October event on Saturday morning and while the competitors in the finals for Under 10 to U16 for boys and girls relished the conditions, it was a tough baptism for the novices and youngsters in the second event later in the day.

Dominic Notten (St James) dominated the U16 boys’ final, finishing ahead of James Lowe (Kommetjie), Daniel Wilson (Tokai) and Grant Arendse (Strandfontein) before swapping places with Wilson in the U14 final where JP Olivier (Strand) placed second and impressive newcomer Ethan Pentz (Fish Hoek) was fourth.

The Morris family, also from St James, produced a triple victory when Caitlin won the U16 girls, Alex the U14 girls and Oli took the U12 boys final, posting a 6.0 point ride in the dying seconds to snatch the title from Pentz. Jordan Maree, the reigning KSS U10 champion and winner of top performance award in the 2006 series, continued his domination of the youngest division by cruising to his fourth straight victory.

Despite several withdrawals as the rescheduling of the event had pushed it into the busy school exam period, there were 75 entries for the second event of the series which got underway as soon as the finals of the first event were completed.

West Coast locals Jeandre Blignaut, Leon du Preez and Tristan Lev along with Roche Louwrens were standouts in their local break on Saturday but it was again nine-year-old Maree who produced the best performance of the event when he posted a near perfect 9.5 point score and then added a 7.5 to record the highest heat total of 17 out of 20 in the half metre glassy right-handers on Sunday morning.

With the swell holding out but the offshore wind rising to a velocity that forced the organisers to dismantle their judging and administration structures, the finals of the second event were completed on Sunday afternoon. Wilson did the double by taking the U16 and U14 boys’ event titles and he leads the ratings in both divisions going into the final event at Kommetjie in two weeks. Blignaut, last year’s U14 series champ, placed runner-up in both finals.

Nicholas Notten, who missed the first event at Muizenberg, returned to the winners circle by claiming the U12 boys title and Lev became the first to defeat Maree in the U10 division thanks to an outstanding 7.0 ride as the clock wound down in the final.

Louwrens opened her account with the highest scoring ride of the U16 girls final to clinch her first event victory ahead of Sabrina Scott (Glencairn), who had earlier taken the U14 girls’ title, and Melkbos local Anoush Zakarian won the U12 girls division.

The squad of eight surfers from the Micah Surf Club in Macassar, whose participation was sponsored by Puma Sports, acquitted themselves well in conditions that most were experiencing for the first time. Tylah Terblanche and Tosca Wynand finished second and third respectively in the U12 girls and Tammy Wynand claimed fourth place in the U14 girls final.

A wind swept presentation ceremony saw the finalists walk away with loads of prizes from many of South Africa’s top surf brands and the scene is now set for the grand finale of 2007 Kahuna Surf Series in Kommetjie on the weekend 1-2 December where the 2007 series champions will be crowned.

The Kustom Awards for the best performance at the events went to Caitlin Morris and Grant Arendse for event #1 and to Roche Louwrens and Tristan Lev for event #2.

The third annual Kahuna Surf Series is sanctioned by WP Surfing and generously sponsored by Reef Wetsuits, Von Zipper eyewear, Kustom footwear, Palmer’s surf wax and accessories, Zigzag surf magazine, Lifestyle Surf Shop, Atlantic Surf, DVG Surfboards, Fox, Lizzard, Surf Zone, Rusty and Billabong.

Further details on the KSS are available at www.kahunasurf.co.za where the Entry Form can be downloaded. Entries close on the Thursday before each event or once a division is fully subscribed.

RESULTS KSS #1

U16 Boys
1.  Dominic Notten (St James)
2.  James Lowe (Kommetjie)
3.  Daniel Wilson (Tokai)
4.  Grant Arendse (Strandfontein)

U16 Girls
1.  Caitlin Morris (St James)
2.  Anna Notten (St James)
3.  Leigh Geyer (Brackenfell)
4.  Jessie Goodman (Oranjezicht)

U14 Boys
1.  Daniel Wilson (Tokai)
2.  Jean-Paul Olivier (Strand)
3.  Dominic Notten (St James)
4.  Ethan Pentz (Fish Hoek)

U14 Girls
1.  Alex Morris (St James)
2.  Marianna Meyer (Mossel Bay)
3.  Amy Bosworth (Kommetjie)

U12 Boys
1.  Oli Morris (St James)
2.  Ethan Pentz (Fish Hoek)
3.  Jordan Maree (Tokai)
4.  Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie)

U10 Mixed
1.  Jordan Maree (Tokai)
2.  Adin Masencamp (Strand)
3.  Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie)
4.  Daniel Duval (Observatory)

RESULTS KSS #2

U16 Boys
1.  Daniel Wilson (Tokai)
2.  Jeandre Blignaut (Melkbos)
3.  James Lowe (Kommetjie)
4.  Grant Arendse (Strandfontein) 

U16 Girls
1.  Roche Louwrens (Melkbos)
2.  Jessie Goodman (Oranjezicht)
3.  Sabrina Scott (Glencairn)
4.  Alex Morris (St James)

U14 Boys
1.  Daniel Wilson (Tokai)
2.  Jeandre Blignaut (Melkbos)
3.  Leon du Preez (Melkbos)
4.  Nicholas Notten (St James)

U14 Girls
1.  Sabrina Scott (Glencairn)
2.  Alex Morris (St James)
3.  Marianna Meyer (Mossel Bay)"
4.  Tammy Wynand (Macassar)

U12 Boys
1.  Nicholas Notten (St James)
2.  Jordan Maree (Tokai)
3.  Oli Morris (St James)
4.  Jonathan Drewnicki (West Beach)

U12 Girls
1.  Anoush Zakarian (Melkbos)
2.  Tylah Terblanche (Macassar)
3.  Tosca Wynand

U10 Mixed
1.  Tristan Lev (Blouberg)
2.  Jordan Maree (Tokai)
3.  Donovan Wichman (Marina da Gama)
4.  Jonah Paarman (Kommetjie)

www.kahunasurf.co.za

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